Haunting Past Changing Future
by AllgoodPhil
Summary: Even the "World's Greatest Thief" cannot elude reality. His sorrow, guilt, and anger have driven him into seclusion becoming distant from everyone, forcing him to withdraw from society. But is it still possible for him to return to his previous life or will he give into a darker side of himself? Rated "T" for mild language and violence. 'Takes place within the Sly Cooper universe.'
1. Dreaming of a Better Life

"Haunting Past, Changing Future"

Chapter One: "Dreaming of a Better Life"

By: AllgoodPhil

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters mentioned in this story; they are possessions of Sucker Punch and Sanzaru.**

Sunlight shined through a slim gap in the curtains shining brightly on my face and waking me up as a sort of natural alarm clock.I yawned loudly and gapped my mouth open wide as I yawned then stretched my body out, extending my arms and legs across the soft linen sheets of the large king sized bed. I turned expecting to see the lovely face of my fiancé but was surprised to see nothing but an empty bedside and tossed blankets were she had slept the night before.

I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes and stretched one more time; this time my back. I pulled the thick blankets off of myself and swung my legs over the side and placed my bare feet onto the floor.

The feeling of the cold of the floor as my soles touched the floor sent a shock from my feet all the up my legs causing my fur to stand on end. As I lifted myself up from the bed to stand I grunted from having being stiff; groggily I turned my head to look at the clock on the nightstand and it read, "**7:10 a.m."**

"Wow an early start on a day off." I said quietly to myself. I walked to the door and opened it to peer into the hallway only to see that it also was empty, but soon an aroma came wafting in from the kitchen down the hall and to me, the smell alone caused me to salivate.

I was excited to smell that she was cooking my favorite breakfast foods; bacon, eggs (scrambled), French toast, and bagels. So not to disturb her or to announce my arrival I crept down the hallway lightly on the edge of my feet and when I got to the entrance of the kitchen I peered from behind the wall only to see a truly lovely sight.

She was standing at the stove that had two frying pans each filled with the delicious food I had mentioned earlier; on the table were two plates, each with a piece of toast and a bagel, still warm since I could see the butter melting on them. She had her back turned to since the stove was opposite from where I was standing; instead of wearing her usual skirt and jacket she wore pajama bottoms, with her usual dark blue top, but over top she wore an unbuttoned pajama to that matched her bottoms.

Silently I snuck up behind her, within inches of her back; I could smell her citrus perfume emanating from her and slowly I slid my hands around her waist. My initial touch caused her to jump slightly but she settled down and relaxed into my embrace as she realized what was happening.

When I completely had her rapped in my arms I rested my chin atop her head and slowly rocked with her muzzling up against my chest and began to hum.

After a few moments she set down her cooking utensils and turned around to face me; her eyes instantly met mine and I could feel my mouth move into a small smile as I gazed at her beauty. She returned my smile but in a more playful way as she spoke,

"Well, looks like someone finally woke up." she began, "Mr. Sleepyhead." she then playfully added. I laughed a little at her playful mockery then I said, "Well I just wanted to surprise you, I can see you intended to surprise me with this meal; quite the surprise I must add."

"Just a great start to a better day!" she explained. "Why, are we going somewhere today?" I asked.

"Yyyyeah." she stressed. "First, we'll eat my deliciously prepared breakfast." she motioned towards the meal she had prepared, "Then, we will go shopping because you need a new suit." Her comment caused me to roll my eyes because she had been pressuring me to buy a new one for weeks now, but that sparked something in me and I looked at her and asked, "Why today of all days?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

"You'll need it for tonight; you'll see, it will make today better than ever." she exclaimed.

"I don't see how my day can get anymore better than this." I lowered my head and closed my eyes as she did the same and our lips touched and we passionately embraced each other as kissed each other affectionately. As we parted our lips I heard her softly whisper, "Me too..."

**BAM! **It hit my ears and shocked me awake; I quickly sat up in bed breathing rapidly with sweat pouring down my face dampening my fur and with my eyes wide open I frantically looked around the room and uttered a weak, "Carmelita?"

After a few moments I regained my composure and slowed down my rapid breathing; my eyes flew around the room trying to adjust to my dark surroundings, then it came to me...I was alone.

Alone...that was all I have been lately, at least, since the accident.

My muscles relaxed but they still ached from anxiety and weariness as I shifted myself into a sitting position and groaned quietly. My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness in the room as I looked around; what I saw was not nearly what I had imagined and felt in my dream, it became darker.

My feet found their way to the floor but instead of a cool shock to my nerves it was the damp warm feel of rotted wood which replaced the crystalline hardwood in my dream. As I stood up I stretched, popping my back up and down my spine like pop-rocks; I checked the clock on the far wall from my bed and it read **12:57 a.m.**

I had slept only 7 hours that night, but it had made the most I had in weeks; every night I would lie awake contemplating previous events inside my head, or arguing out loud to myself drunk until I eventually blacked out, only to wake up the next morning with a hangover and restarting up the process all over again. Fortunately last night was just the one were eventually my sorrow tired me out more than the alcohol, so I felt relatively more rested.

But I'm getting off topic. After relieving myself in the toilet which seemed more like a bucket since it almost never flushes right, which it didn't that time, so I just left the remnants there for a later problem since I didn't really care at the moment to resolve it. I stepped sluggishly aside to the small sink I had and turned the nob which caused cool water to steadily flow out.

I cupped my hand together and placed them under the facet until they filled with water, then brought my hands to my face. I soaked my face and scrubbed with my palms until all the water had drained from between my fingers and into the sink.

I didn't bother reaching for a towel to dry my face, I instead leaned above the sink tightly gripping each side while staring at the drain; not thinking, not speaking, not moving, just standing there...alone. After about ten minutes of standing there in a trance I finally broke free and slowly lifted my head; it didn't even feel as if I was putting any effort into doing this, like my body was on auto-pilot and I couldn't control it. But still, I felt a weight, a heavy weight. On my shoulders, and in the back of my mind.

As I looked in the mirror, I saw another face, one I didn't recognize; but I knew it was mine. My fur was damp, not from the water but from the grime and grease of not having proper hygiene. My eyes were sunken into my face giving a hollow and wasted look to me; I lifted my hand which felt as if it weighed fifty pounds and touched my cheek and pulled it down to examine my eyes. They were milky and bloodshot and shook slightly as if vibrating but the more I tried to steady them, the more they shook.

I rubbed my eyes and tried to remove the sleep which had created a slight crust over my lower eyelids. When I had finished I returned to my hunched position and examined my hair; it had started to grow long and uneven, and some parts were matted onto my head while other parts either stuck straight up or hung down, much like my bangs did.

Eventually I released my grip and stood straight up with an efforted groan as I straightened my back which popped multiple times as it became erect.

I walked into the conjoining kitchen just opposite the wall that separated the two and sat down at the small foldable diner table I had set up at the edge of one of the far walls. I put my heads in my hands and sighed, deep and piteously.

Then I raised my head slightly while having it still it in my hands and looked forward out the window; it was morning and the sun shone brightly through the window pane, I could hear birds chirping and children laughing in the distance.

As I viewed the outside from the small window I noticed that the sky was a deep blue and it felt good not only to see this natural and beautiful view but to feel the sun's rays being shined on my body, warming my fur. As I sat there staring, I felt a sudden vibration on my elbow which caused me to jump, but soon I relaxed as I raised my elbow and saw that it was my cell phone that had vibrated because I had received a text.

I put my finger to the screen and slid the "Slide to Open" bar and unlocked it, then scrolled down and found my inbox icon and tapped on it opening it. I found the text message that had just been sent to me and saw that surprisingly it had nothing in the "Subject" box and that it had no address which stated who had sent it, so out of curiosity I opened it and it read:

**Message Received: Tuesday, July 24 at 1:28 p.m.**

_**"Sly, it's time you came back to work.**_

_** -Bentley**_

I slowly pressed the button to turn off the phone, set it down next to me on the table, and crossed my arms and buried my head in them...

and I cried.

**Thank you all the first chapter of my revised story "Haunting Past, Changing Future"**

**Please submit a quick review after reading PLEASE!**

**On a lesser note, I am deeply and incredible sorry for being gone for so long (OVER A YEAR!) but now that school is ending I have decided to re-vamp this story, so if you like this chapter, review and tell me what you think and I will surely add more to it as soon as I can.**

**sincerely**

**- ;)**


	2. Lifestyles

"**Haunting Past, Changing Future"**

_**By: AllgoodPhil**_

_**Chapter Two: Lifestyles**_

**I do not own the Sly Cooper characters as they belong to SuckerPunch and Sanzaru.**

The cool night breeze blew through my fur and both calmed and relaxed me as It caressed me. I inhaled deeply taking in the night's essence and it's beauty; it was then that I realized something. I realized that my recent and prolonged isolation within my apartment had removed me not only from recollection of my past, but from the outside world itself.

I gazed upon the landscape of Paris's nighttime scenery; its many numerous lights glowing ominously all around with the sounds of traffic and the commotion of late-nighters and partiers echoing from in the distance. "I haven't seen a sight like this in months." I whispered to myself with a slight grin.

The last time I was doing anything like this was the night of the accident...Carmelita's accident.

...

"Why do have to do this to me every chance you get!?" She yelled at me with a growl.

"Listen Carm, I-" I was cut off by her finger pointing an inch away from my face.

"Don't you, 'Carm' me ringtail! I'm tired of it! I'm tired of it all!" She flared her hands in the air as she yelled and barred her teeth.

"But it's not just what I do Carmelita! It's what I have to do!" I retorted in a reassuring tone only to be answered with a pillow being thrown in my face that she had picked up from our bed nearby.

"I don't give a damn Sly! I just don't want you to keep doing it! It's wrong and I can't deal with having to keep this _disgusting_ secret anymore! She screamed as she turned and walked towards the door that led out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth at her ignorance and shouted back just as she had opened the door and begun to walk out, "What's your problem that you have to act so stubborn and hard-headed about this! I know what I do is wrong, but I do it for the right reasons and you have no authority to keep me from doing it and most of all you have _completely_ no idea what it is like to be me and the problems that I face because of what I do, what I _have _to do!"

She had stopped completely in the doorway and had stood completely motionless without moving whatsoever with her hands by her side for the duration of my outburst. After a few minutes of standing in awkward silence I had calmed down and the gravity of situation set on my as my raged faded away and I began to feel guilty.

I left out a long defeated sigh as I rubbed my face with my hand and relaxed. I looked down at the floor for a few seconds as I reflected on what had happened, then I raised my glance towards her, she was in the same exact position as before and didn't appear to have moved an inch from before.

The only difference was that her hands were tightly balled into fist turning them white, I saw that she appeared to be shuddering and I faintly heard the repressed sounds of her quietly sobbing. My heart felt heavy as I realized what I had done and I inhaled deeply and took couple steps towards her to where I was almost directly behind her and gingerly put my hand on her shoulder.

"Carm...I-I'm sorry. I-I just...I just need to do this. It's my family's heritage ya know? If I could I would stop, but it's just not that simple." I stood with my heart nearly pounding out of my chest waiting for her reply but as I waited she still didn't reply and continued her quiet sobbing so I stepped closer and said, "Carm? Carmelita talk to me...please."

Before I knew it she had quickly snapped her whole body around and was now standing face to face with me. She had tears steadily running down her cheeks dampening her fur and she had a look of a mix of sorrow, extreme worry, and desperation.

I saw her face and immediately I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a tight and comforting embrace. She sobbed with her head buried into my chest for a few moments as I gingerly stroked her hair in an attempt to comfort her.

We stood there like that for a about ten minutes with her holding onto me tighter and I the same, eventually he sobbing began to decrease and I uttered a soft "Shhh" as I gently rocked her in my arms; I hated seeing her like this...especially like this because it showed a side of her that I wasn't at all accustomed too.

We had been have numerous difficulties in our relationship because of the tension between her line of work at Interpol and my "heritage" of being a thief. It seemed that everytime I had to go on a heist with my gang or when she had to respond to an "emergency" call late at night we would end up arguing for hours on end eventually leading to one of us either leaving to go to our previous engagement while the other sat there and stirred in negative emotion or one of us storming out to stay somewhere else for the night or multiple nights.

I snapped out of my train of thought when she released her grip around me and slipped out of my arms; she started to head back out the door when I tried to stop her but she quickly turned around and shoved something into my chest. It shocked my to say the least and I raised my head to look into her eyes and she had a look of intensity and she was sincere as she spoke, "I just wanted you to stay safe Sly."

I tried to speak to her but I stopped before I uttered a single sound when I read in her eyes that she wanted me to leave, so I turned towards our balcony window and unlatched the lock to the large window-panned door and pushed the doors open causing a sudden gush of cool night air to blow through the opening and into the room.

I looked back at her and she was still in the same spot as before but I could literally feel her eyes piercing my skin and setting my ablaze with her contempt. I looked down at my chest at the odject that she hard shoved into me and in turned out to be my old thieving mask; I hadn't seen it in years and after all this time and at this moment she decided to give it to me, I knew it was a sign but not of what.

I turned away and out the doorway and into the dark Paris landscape and tied the mask around my face, stepped up onto the balcony railing and jumped off, landing onto a nearby rooftop.

I didn't look back.

...

I guess I should of seen what would happen next and what she meant but at that time I didn't really care for what anyone else thought; I guess I should of been more considerate.

I was interrupted by the screeching of static in my earpiece as Bentley connected from the opposite line.

"Sly? Do you read me? Over." He asked.

"I'm good pal. So, what's our first move? Over." I responded adding an upbeat tone to my voice.

"Well first you and Murray will rendezvous at the checkpoint at the entrance top-floor exhibits and I'll make my way to through the security sector towards the control center and relay instructions from there, okay? Over."

"Roger Bentley, I'll meet him there as fast as I can, over." I responded. I was about to leap down from my advantage point when Bentley spoke to me again.

"Sly, i-it's good to have you back. I'm glad you decided to join us. I-we, have missed you a lot." It surprised me that he expressed his emotions especially that he missed me. I smiled slightly and looked up at the sky and uttered a few small chuckles before I spoke.

"Thanks Bentley, that means a lot to me...and I missed you guys too."

I leaped off the ledge where I had been sitting and landed on the ground below and headed towards the Museum where the heist was going to take place.

**Thank you all for reading my second chapter of "Haunting Past, Changing Future"**

**Please everyone who reads this leave a review or comment because I _thrive_ on you all's reviews because as a writer I need feed back in order to improve the story so that everyone enjoys it. You don't even need an account, just hit the button below, enter a silly fake name (i.e. CupkakesFTW) and lend my some of yall's infinite wisdom.**

**sincerely**

**- ;)**

**P.S. I'm deeply sorry about the wait.**

**;)**


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